However, NLIHC's finding that workers earning minimum wage ($7.25/hour in 2012) cannot afford a two-bedroom rental apartment is troubling given that the retail sector is one of the few bright spots in the job market right now—and that these workers comprise 9.8 percent of the nation's poorest renters.

Even if you live and work in San Francisco, where the minimum wage is above $10/hour, or one of 18 states, including Washington D.C., that raised their minimum wages this year, you're still basically screwed, says NLIHC.

To afford the national average two-bedroom apartment's rent—$949 per month—a low-income household needs to earn $37,960 annually, which just isn't happening. That's $18.25 per hour—they only earn $14.15.